This information was published
originally on July 5, 1999; some of the URLs are no longer functional.
You can still find the information though -- simply type in the URL that
isn't working into archive.org.

If you are interested in fan-based volunteering beyond what is compiled
here, check out Transformative
Works and Cultures, an online journal launched in 2009 that looks
at various aspects of fan fiction (fan-created fiction inspired by their
favorite movies, TV shows and books), comic book fandom, movie fandom,
video game fandom, comic and fan conventions, and more. Specifically,
see The
media festival volunteer: Connecting online and on-ground fan labor,"
a 2014 paper by Robert Moses Peaslee, Jessica El-Khoury, and Ashley
Liles, which uses data gathered at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, in
September 2012.

1999 text:

There are thousands of online communities for people who want to to share
information and excitement about a particular television show, movie,
sports team, celebrity, hobby or literary genre. And just as offline
communities and groups will often "pass the hat" at their gatherings for a
good cause, these Internet-based fan groups often come together online or
in person to improve their communities, promote a cause or generate funds
for a nonprofit organization. Often, these fans engage in philanthropy
with no prompting from any charity or formal organization.

The following are examples of such groups, with comments from members
about their online philanthropic activities and what makes them
successful:

X-Files Fans
(also known as Philes)
Fans of this show engage in a multitude of online philanthropic
activities, all initiated by individual members:

The fans who maintain the official Gillian
Anderson Web site (GAWS) put together an online
auction each May to raise money for Neurofibromatosis,
Inc. a charity with which Anderson is affiliated
(neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder of the nervous system, one
of the most common in the United States). In its first year, the
auction raised more than $6,000; in 1998, it raised more than
$23,000; in 1999, it raised more than $90,000.

Cynthia Schmidt maintains the GAWS site and says the key to
engaging volunteers in online philanthropy is "keeping it simple."

"The less people have to go through to participate, the better.
Make it clear and easy for people to take part." Schmidt handles
most of the volunteer work for the auction -- soliciting and
accepting the donated items, creating the necessary Web pages,
tracking and posting bidding information, mailing out the items,
etc. -- but other volunteers help by donating items and promoting
the event and Neurofibromatosis, Inc. via their own fan-based
networks and the Internet.

Schmidt started the auction in 1997, establishing a relationship
with Neurofibromatosis, Inc. and using various e-mail lists,
online discussion groups and bulletin boards to announce the event
and solicit auction items from fans. "We got in print too. People
would send our information to their local newspapers and other
places. The Internet is great, but people shouldn't forget about
print." The GAWS Web site allows people to make bids on items
during the auction, and provides links to the Neurofibromatosis,
Inc. Web site for more information about the disease
(Schmidt designed this web site as well).

"People should keep in mind that these kind of events start off
slow. You shouldn't try to start huge. Let support build. Let the
word get out. It will get bigger every year."

The GAWS group has organized other online philanthropic
activities as well, such as a December "Non-Event Party," where
participants paid $5 to not show up at an onsite party; instead,
donors attended by interacting on a special mailing list at a
particular time and date.

To keep from becoming overwhelmed during the auction, Schmidt
takes frequent breaks from her computer during the event. "In the
corner of the auction screen was a line that said, 'Next update
will be at...' whatever (date and time). I set that time so I
could walk away from my computer and out of my house and go to a
movie or something. Then I come back, and everything is still
waiting for me." She says another way to keep from becoming
overwhelmed by an online event is to make it short. "Don't let it
drag on forever. Set a start date and an end date and that's
that."

Schmidt scoffs at the idea that the Internet is making people
more isolated. "It brings people together. I've met people I would
never have met otherwise. And I still go out. I go out all the
time. But now I get even more friends. Online, you can even be
more selective of who you hang with."

When "Stacey," a long-time and popular member of the alt.tv.x-files
(atxf) newsgroup for the "X-Files" died in the Fall of 1998, several
newsgroup members donated money to charities or held special events
in her honor to raise money for charities. Sarah Aalderink, one of
those event organizers, says she met Stacey through the newsgroup
and considered her a close friend.

"She and I had many things in common and often spoke in e-mail
about our respective children," Aalderink said. "When she died
suddenly, it left a large void, not only in my life but in many
lives. Many of us cried on each other's shoulders, via the
Internet.When I learned that Stacey's family had chosen a charity
(Lifepath Hospice) to recieve memorial contributions, I
offered, through a post to atxf, to gather donations together,
consolidate the information and pass the information and
contributions along to Lifepath Hospice, forwarding a letter to
Stacey's family as well. Once I had recieved all donations, I
catalogued them in a letter to Lifepath Hospice. I then notified
all contributors, via e-mail, that I had recieved their
contribution, and totaled the donation, letting them know how much
we donated as a group. 14 people participated. I also received
approximately 30 e-mails thanking me for organizing this but
saying that they prefered to donate separately. I'm certain more
donations than that were made because atxf is a very large group.
This was done strictly via newsgroups and e-mail. In fact, e-mail
didn't really enter into the picture until the donations started
coming in."

Aalderink recommends that any fan-based philanthropic group have
a lead person or official chairperson who is well-recognized
within the online community to lead online philanthropic
activities. "USENET users can be suspicious people, with reason.
Scams, spam and trolls abound. It is very important to *know* and
be known by the group or groups that you will solicite. Soliciting
for memorial contributions for Stacey on a newsgroup like
alt.tv.x-files worked because Stacey was known on that group and
I'm known on that group. I could have solicited on other groups
that Stacey posted to but I wouldn't have expected any response,
as *I* became the unknown in that equation."

Aalderink also emphasized that reporting back to the group is
vital, and that a personal thank you and summary should also be
sent to each person who contributes. "Sending out a mass
notification (sending to one person with 'carbon copies' to
everyone else) is just plain rude. It takes a little more time to
write individual e-mails but you are more likely to get a repeat
donation the next time around."

She added: "It is important to have a recognized spokesperson or
a rallying point. For the OBSSE and GAWS auctions and donations,
Gillian Anderson is the 'spokesperson.' For my project, Stacey was
the rallying point, a sort of spokesperson. She was much loved and
is still missed. Having a recognized spokesperson or rallying
point will inspire more people to participate. I still wear my
'For Stacey' button around town and to sci-fi events. I know that
one of the X-Files writers is using Stacey's name in an upcoming
episode. It's this sort of pride and loyalty that a good or
appropriate spokesperson can inspire."

"If you are looking at soliciting funds or volunteers from a
newsgroup, lurk on that group for a while, learn who the regulars
are and then approach one of them in e-mail. This will give you
the endorsement of a regular without the commitment of years of
lurking and reading. The endorsement of a regular will boost the
'respectability' of your project and make it more likely to
succeed."

The Order of the Blessed St. Scully the Enigmatic (OBSSE)
encouraged fans, via the Internet, to hold "OBSSE
Scully Marathons" in May 1999: participants asked family,
friends, coworkers, and "fellow X-phile fanatics" to donate $1 or
more to Neurofibromatosis, Inc for every OBSSE-selected
episode they watched in succession. These marathons raised more than
$10,000.

"It was a huge success," notes the Web site. "Not only did we
raise a very respectable amount for NF, Inc (Neurofibromatosis)
and several other international NF organizations, but we got to
meet, face-to-face, in a non-virtual way <grin>,
some of the nicest, and coolest people around. And we had lots of
fun... lots and lots of fun!"

These fans "work to better the lives of people in their own
communities through donations and volunteerism." In 1998, various
chapters of the group raised almost $40,000 for the Rainforest
Preservation Foundation, the Arizona AIDS Walk, the Domestic
Violence Center of Howard County, the International Society
for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (USA), Invest
In Kids Foundation (Canada), Working Wardrobes for a New
Start, Gilda's Club Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,
and Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, among MANY others. To date,
Sword and Staff activities have resulted in more than $91,000 being
donated to charitable organizations around the world, and many more
online and offline philanthropic activities are planned for the rest
of 1999.

Debbie Cassetta, President of Sword and Staff, says profits from
local fan festivals are also donated to charities. "They keep us
informed of their activities, and supply us with copies of
acknowledgment letters from the charities they support. "

"We also use the Internet to request that fans send donations of
items that we will use in charity auctions. Without the type of access
to fans that the Internet provides, most of what we do would be
impossible. It's always a pleasant surprise to open the mail and find
autographed items that fans generously contribute. Our auctions are
possible because cast, fans and fan clubs donate merchandise to Sword
and Staff. I am currently conducting approximately 12 online auctions
a year, and each auction has between 15 and 40 items. Each of those
items is donated by someone in the 'Xenaverse.'"

Cassetta says fans take up charitable activities based on their own
interest and availability. "One summer, a fan from Denver took it upon
herself to organize a fund drive in her home city to raise money to
help financially disadvantaged families buy school supplies for their
children. Last September, 21 Sword and Staff members worked to clean
up a 2-1/2 mile stretch of shoreline in Queens, New York as part of
the International Coastal Cleanup. Another Sword and Staff
member volunteers her time the 'turtle patrol' which helps to assure
that newly hatched turtles make it to the ocean so they have a chance
at survival. The Dutch fans are donating money to support an injured
seal. The fans in Great Britain have adopted two children's hospitals,
and direct their charitable activities to supporting them. "

Cassetta volunteers to handle all administrative business for Sword
and Staff, as well as maintain its web site and conduct the auctions
(which are done via e-mail). There are six international liaisons who
work with her and coordinate events in their own countries. They are
from the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand (2) and Great Britain
(2).

The individual international liaisons will coordinate fan activity
around a charitable event. They'll select the charity to benefit,
making sure that it is a legitimate entity. They will then work to
organize the event (usually a fest, auction, or raffle) and then
assure that the checks get to the appropriate charity.

"Individual fans have arranged for specific auctions or other
events. One recent one was an audio fan fiction auction to benefit the
Rainforest Preservation Foundation that raised approximately
$4,600. The time, tapes, and voice of a fan, combined with the writing
talent of the Xenaverse 'bards' made that possible. One of the amazing
things about Xena fandom is the talent of it's 'bards', writers who
produce quality fan fiction that has taken hold of the imagination of
fans like nothing I've seen in the past. A recent call for donations
of stories by these bards, met with a great response, and the
resulting auction raised nearly $5,000 to help combat child abuse."

Sword and Staff was started in May of 1997, shortly after the first
New York City Xenafest. "The NYC Fest Committee raised $4,500 for
charity. We intended to donate it to a NYC-based charity that states
it mission as providing care for abandoned children afflicted with
AIDS. When I approached the charity representative, I was told in no
uncertain terms that they would not accept our money. Thinking they
misunderstood what I was saying, I stated plainly, 'I don't think you
understand. I want to donate money to your organization.' The response
I received was, 'You don't understand me. We don't want your money.'
He didn't want to be associated with a bunch of 'Amazons'."

"I found that by using the Internet to discuss the rejection of the
donation and the often negative image that XWP fans had, I was able to
channel fan energy, as well as my own, to positive pursuits. The
result of that is that in two years S&S has evolved into a very
positive organization. It has and continues to help a growing number
of worthwhile charities, and in the process has given fans bound by a
common set of ideals a focus for their energies. We took a bad
situation (refusal of a donation) and turned it into a very positive
force in the Xenaverse and the world at large. The generosity of Xena
fans is unparalleled in my experience. It's a pleasure to be
associated with them."

When asked what would be the one or two most important pieces of
advice she would offer to someone who wanted to organize a group like
hers, Cassetta replied, "Visit a psychiatrist and stock up on Zantac
or Rolaids. (grin). Seriously, my advice would be to love what you're
doing. Know also that it will consume a large portion of your free
time, so be aware of your other life commitments before you take on
such an activity. It takes a lot of organizing and patience, and often
an inordinate amount of time. There will always be someone who thinks
they can do it better, so be prepared for some negative criticism. It
comes with the territory. Keep your goals in mind, be open to
suggestions and constructive criticism, accept help when you need it,
but don't let someone else's agenda distract you from your
organization's goals. And finally, if you're doing this for
recognition for yourself or as a means to be recognized by someone
else, then find something else to get involved in. This is not what
this is about.

The BarryNet
Barry Manilow International Fan Clubhttp://www.barrynet.com
This Web site declares: "Barry's FANS...Call THEM Wild, call them
'Maniloonies', call them whatever you like, but at least KNOW that
behind all that craziness is Not Only fans CRAZY about Barry, but fans
CRAZY about making the world a better place... "

There are approximately 70 Local Barry Manilow Fan Clubs around the
world recognized and sanctioned by the official Barry Manilow
International Fan Club (BMIFC). One of the primary guidelines imposed
by the BMIFC is that each local club conduct one or more charity
events a year to raise money for the organization of their choice, and
promote awareness for what the charity does. "The BarryNet is used to
help promote activities and events sponsored by the BMIFC and local
fan clubs," says BarryNet Webmaster Gary Oye. Many individual chapters
also use the Internet to sign up volunteers for events, and to keep
members up-to-date on volunteer orientations and news.

28 local Barry Manilow fan clubs (there are more than 70 total) and
their charitable activities are listed on BarryNet, with additional
information about their volunteer and fund-raising activities on
individual club Web sites. These chapters raise thousands of dollars
each year, and donate a great deal of time to various nonprofit
organizations. Some of the charities who have benefited from these
fans' activities: Walk for Hunger, Make a Wish Foundation,
National Music Foundation, Toys for Tots, Ronald
McDonald House, American Red Cross, American Cancer
Society, World Wildlife Fund and Children's Miracle
Network.

"The fans who participate in the activities do so through the
inspiration of Barry's music, i.e., they give to others what Barry
gives to them," says Oye. "It is an amazing phenomenon. Certainly one
that most people don't associate with Barry Manilow."